I Monster
by tsunami mermaid
Summary: This story shows what could have happened if Jack HAD accepted Pitch's offer to join him (although not exactly by choice). Darkness is all-consuming when you're alone. What's Pitch playing at?
1. Betrayal

**Hi guys! So it's been a while since I've started a story but I could let this one go unwritten. So here it is! Basically, It's a twisted turn of events on what _could _have happened if Jack had accepted Pitch's offer to join him. Not exactly by choice, however. The beginning of the story, which takes place after he's discovered that Pitch sent his fearlings into the tunnels and destroyed all the eggs, isn't exactly detail for detail. I simply did my best with what I could remember and got my hands into the plot and messed with some things. **

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN RISE OF THE GUARDIANS**

**This is simply _my_ interpretation. Anyway, I hope you find this story as delighting to read as I do to write. Reviews are very much appreciated and certainly help the flow and updates of the story move much faster. ENJOY!**

Jack could feel his eyes brimming with ice cold tears, threatening to fall before he even made it into the air. He glanced back around at his companions one last time, eyes lingering on Bunny, who was still glaring daggers back at him. He quickly turned on heel and sprinted off back into the forest, dropping the tiny Russian doll as he did. The wind mercifully picked him up seconds later and carried him away.

Once the wind began slapping his face he found it impossible to hold back the tears and finally let them flow freely. He had no idea where he was going, he just let the wind carry him away as far as possible.

Vision completely blurred and eyes streaming, he finally felt his feet touch down onto the snow. Wiping his eyes on his sleeve he could feel the solid tracks of ice-cold tears left on his face. With wobbly legs he sank down into the snow and, pulling his hood over his head, buried his face in his knees.

After a few minutes, the tears finally stopped flowing, quickly replaced by another familiar emotion; anger. How could they? They had just let him into their world and finally accepted him. He had real companions that would actually talk to him and with whom he could joke and laugh. They would pat him on the back when he did something right and fret when something went wrong. And they turned him away BECAUSE OF THIS?

It was a mistake! He didn't even know what he was getting himself into! It was all just a big fat mistake! But he had done it, and he alone had wrecked Easter. The children of the world would stop believing in that flipping kangaroo because of _him_.

He wasn't sure who he was more angry at; the Guardians or himself. All he wanted to do was go crawl in a hole, let it freeze over, and stay there for all eternity. He wouldn't be missed, and as a matter of fact, not much in his life would really change. He would simply forever be an outcast. Like he hadn't faced _that_ before.

The last look Jack gave the three remaining guardians spewed the worst mixture of heart-wrenching sorrow and anger Tooth had ever seen. But there was simply nothing to be done. He had arrived too late. The eggs were crushed, along with all hopes of maintaining any sort of normal Easter. Tooth sighed as she watched him speed off.

Once Jack was out of sight, Tooth turned to the other Guardians. Bunny still glared ferociously off into the distance. He was angry and petrified for the outcome of this terrible Easter. North was staring down uncharacteristically at his boots. It was obvious that he, too, wasn't sure if banishing the strong Winter Spirit had been the best choice of action.

The bunny finally broke the silence. "Well, I suppose its best we head back now. Still gotta bring joy to the children of the world and all that jazz," he said dejectedly as he began trudging back through the forest.

Once he was just out of ear-shot, Tooth hovered up next to North. "North, do you really think turning Jack away was the best thing to do? Pitch is going to come back, and without Sandman or Jack we're practically sitting ducks!" She squeaked.

"I know Toothy, but just look at the damage he caused! I don't know if he was ever responsible enough to be a guardian." North pinched the bridge of his nose and scowled.

"Regardless of that, now he's gone, _by himself_, and we're by ourselves! Is that logic lost to you?!" Tooth was starting to get panicky now. As if the loss of her fairies wasn't enough, now two of the guardians were gone, pitch was on the prowl, and they didn't even stand a fighting chance!

"Oi, knuckleheads! Let's go. I don't want to be around this place anymore," mumbled Bunny from a few feet into the forest.

North gave Tooth a 'we'll discuss this later' look and they set off after the rabbit.

Jack pounded his fist into the snowy ground. Why was he such a fool? Why did he always hurt so flipping badly?!

Around him the wind raged and pulled snow from the ground into the air, wrapping it around its creator like an all-powerful tornado.

"Why hello Jack," hissed a voice just behind him.

Jack jumped, the snowy tornado immediately falling to the ground as he whipped around to face the onlooker. It was Pitch.

"Oh dear, I was afraid this would happen," the shadow man cooed. "Looks like your friends are finally seeing your true colors."

Jack didn't even try to comprehend what Pitch was saying. He just instinctually lunged at the murderer of his friend, destroyer of Easter, and the nightmare wreaking terror. Pitch dodged his first attack, popping up right behind Jack. Jack immediately turned to face him and blast him with more frost from his staff. The frost collided with the dark nightmare sand, the two blending together.

"Come now Jack, join me! Think of the power! Think of what it would be like to live in a world where people believe in you!"

"They wouldn't believe in me, they'd _fear me_."

"But look, look at what we could do! Look at what we could become!" Pitch motioned to the giant ice formation to their right. The ice that had shot out of Jacks staff had mixed with the dark dust, a freakishly large and jagged ice cliff being the result.

"How many times do I have to tell you! I will not live to be feared." Jack stepped forward to glare Pitch right in the eye, staff raised.

Pitch glared back for a moment before he relaxed, leaning back and looking smug.

"Fine then, the decision is yours. But are you willing to put _this_ at risk?"

Jack looked up to see a tiny, colorful ball of feathers quivering under the pressure of Pitch's tight grasp.

"Babytooth!"

"The staff, Jack. I want the staff. You have a pesky habit of getting in my way. I'll make a trade; the fairy for the staff."

Jack looked from the gasping creature to the staff in his hand. It was the only thing he had; the only thing that still let him really _live_. But really, there was no decision.

He handed the staff over to the Boogeyman.

"Now give me Babytooth," he demanded, hand outstretched.

Pitch looked at him quizzically, as if debating. "No, I don't think I will," he sneered.

Jacks eyes widened at the foul play.

Suddenly, Pitch let out a growl of indignation as Babytooth gave a might peck at his hand. In a flash of fury, he chucked her out over the snow covered ground, where she proceeded to hit the side of a cliff face and fell into the depths of a crag.

Jack lunged at the traitor just as Pitch pulled the staff up in his hands and snapped it over his knee.

It was as if someone had taken his very own spine and snapped that instead; but worse. Jack physically felt a part of himself break along with the staff, something deep within him.

Pitch held the broken remnants of the staff firmly in his hand and reached with the other to pull Jack up by the front of his hoodie. "You brought this upon yourself. The world is my oyster now, all because of you. Terror will reign supreme." He threw Jack back into the snow. He was about to turn away, leaving the boys crumpled, helpless form in the snow when a twisted smile played across his face. "Of course there might be one thing you could do to save them."

Jack looked up, wiping the snow from his face. "And what, pray tell, would that be?"

"My previous offer stands firm. Come with me, and I'll call off the fearlings. After all, what do you have to lose? You have no staff, you have no power."

"Then why do you still want my help?"

"I feel that you could still be of some use to me," he shrugged.

"You've already proven that you're not very good at keeping your word. Why would I trust you?!"

"Because you don't have much of a choice. Face it Jack, we both know the outcome of this war. Your friends may be strong, but without you and that bag of pixie dust you call a dream weaver, your three friends are helpless."

Jack glared ferociously at the man. How dare he turn the tables! There is no way he would offer his alliance to this killer.

"I'm not asking for your help, Jack. I just need to keep you out of the way."

Jack continued to glare up at him, but found he could not look him defiantly in the eye. He was right. Jack had messed this up, and he needed to fix it.

"I'll go with you. But I want the fairies set free. It won't do you any good to keep them."

"Are you really in a position to be making deals?" Pitch asked almost humorously.

"No, but if you break your promise I want the guardians to stand a chance and be able to fight back. Think of it as a safety net."

Pitch sighed, clearly growing bored with the conversation. "Very well, I shall set the fairies free."

"And you'll swear on your word that you'll call your fearlings off?" Jack demanded.

"On my word I swear that _my fearlings_ will do no such harm to the city." Pitch put a hand over his heart dramatically.

"Shake on it," Jack scowled as he reached his hand out. If he was going to make a deal with the devil, he wanted it to be official.

Pitch held out his hand, the devious glint in his eye going unnoticed to the boy. Their hands met and they shook once, hard.

"Now, shall we go then?" asked Pitch.

"Wait, there's still one last thing I have to do," replied Jack. Running back over to the giant crag in the ice, he looked down to see Babytooth, shaking and nearly unconscious in the snow. He gracefully slid down the inside of the crag, totaling at least 25 feet. Although his powers seemed to be gone, he was still a winter spirit. 300 years of riding the wind and jumping roof tops had definitely left an impact on is abilities, and he was glad that at least the wind was still on his side.

When he got to the bottom he raced over to the little fairy and scooped her up in is hands. She was shaking like a leaf and it was all his fault. But Tooth would find her, he was sure. She always knew where all her babies were (unless they were in the clutches of Pitch, who was nearly impossible to track). But he couldn't just leave her unprotected out in the cold; she would freeze to death before the guardians even got to her!

Gently laying her back in the snow, he quickly pulled the frosted blue hoodie over his head, leaving his upper torso completely exposed (not that that bothered him much. He was a frost spirit so the cold wouldn't bother him). He tightly swaddled the baby fairy into the sweatshirt and placed it in the deepest crack in the ice wall he could find. He gently rubbed the top of her feathered head comfortingly and then backed away, not wanting her exposed to more cold by his touch.

"How sweet," Pitch purred as he materialized behind him, still holding the broken pieces of the staff. Jack only glared back at him. "Time to go," and with that the two of them turned and materialized into the shadows, leaving Babytooth, the sweatshirt, and unviewed memories stashed in the hoodie pocket behind.

**Well, there's the intro! Like I said, its not the exact same wording as in the movie, but you get the point. Hope you liked it and please review!**


	2. A Deal with A Devil?

**Sorry this took so long to update! I kind of ran into a road block with this one. For whatever reason, it was hard getting it down on paper. But anyway, please please please review! I really appreciate it (especially because the last one I got was the kick in the butt I needed to finish this chapter). Enjoy!**

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Jack didn't doubt for one minute that the decision he'd made, to go with Pitch as his prisoner, had been the right one. Even as Pitch shoved him into the dark depths of his cell and locked the door. He only wished the guardians had been there to witness everything so he could at least prove that he could do something right. He wondered how Babytooth was faring. Had the guardians been able to find her?

"I would suggest resting while you can; you're going to need it," sighed Pitch carelessly as he walked to the cave-like area that appeared to be a continuation of the main section of his "lair." Jack had only left this place less than an hour and now he was already back! Only this time the deal had been made.

"Remind me again why I'm here and not lying dead in the snow somewhere? What do you want with me?" asked Jack with his characteristically snarky attitude.

"Would you have liked me to kill you?" asked Pitch.

"Well of course not! But what good will come from you keeping me locked in your secret prison…thingy?"

"Oh Jack, you're far too useful for me to just leave you lying dead in the snow! Although that is certainly still a possibility."

"Yeah yeah, I got that. But why?"

Pitch, who had been slowly parading the room, admiring the staff, turned back to look at him. All of a sudden he slammed the two broken ends of the staff together. This action produced a small gasp from the boy, as if the air had been knocked right out of him. Startled and confused, Jack took a step back, grasping his bare chest, trying to steady both his heart rate and breathing.

"What was that?" He gasped out.

Pitch just raised an eyebrow curiously; his expression hard to pin. Again he directed the broken pieces of the staff together, only this time more carefully. As the two halves slid perfectly into place with each other, a twisted black wisp of smoke delicately wrapped itself around the staff, darkening the ice caked on the lightly frosted staff.

And just like that the smoke was gone, seemingly seeping into the staff itself, leaving behind a perfectly whole staff once more.

Jack felt a shiver crawl up his spine. His staff was repaired! It was like a piece of his soul; the part that had been destroyed when the staff had been snapped, had been repaired! But there was something else there; something that was not quite right. It was like the piece of himself that had been broken with the staff had been replaced with something much, much darker.

"What did you DO?" hissed Jack.

"I'm doing exactly as I said I would; using you to my advantage," said Pitch. He turned back around, still examining the darkened staff.

"Give me my staff back," growled Jack, grabbing hold of the bars once again for balance.

"Oh certainly not. That was part of the deal, remember? The staff for the fairy. Now, are you going to heed my advice and get some rest or are you going to continue pestering me with useless questions?"

Jack just glared at him. He wished his eyes really could shoot daggers because Pitch would be pinned to the wall and stabbed through right now. He kept his mouth shut, though. He really didn't have the strength to continue the argument. He only hoped that the guardians would be able to find him and put a stop to whatever morbid plan it was that Pitch had up his sleeve. Backing up into the corner of the room, he slid his back along the wall as he sunk to the ground; his legs no longer able to support him.

"That's what I thought," sneered Pitch before he stalking out of the room, leaving it darker than Jack had ever in his life time witnessed. The blackness was suffocating.

Even more startling than the unpenetrable darkness was the unpleasant stirring of… well he wasn't quite sure what it was. Was it…cold? Was that what this was? Jack had never really felt a cold like this. He was a winter spirit possessing the power to wield ice and snow and wind. He had never, ever felt cold. It was a challenging concept. He knew what cold was, he knew what it felt like, but he had never really FELT it. Now, however, there was an unexplainable bitter cold he had never felt before. It was attacking his veins, spreading through his like liquid ice. And he FELT it.

He shivered. What was wrong?

Suddenly, he heard a shuffling noise from somewhere far off in front of him. The noise continued to grow closer… and closer… and closer. A few moments later there was more shuffling from somewhere off to his right, then his left. The noises were continuously moving towards him. His heart beat faster. He couldn't see anything. He couldn't breathe!

It wasn't until he spotted the faintest glimmer of crimson that he was finally able to place together what the noise could possibly be; nightmares. Nightmares were prowling around the outside of his cell.

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**Once again, Please review! And thanks! (Oh, and the update wont take as long this time, I promise).**


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